After the Storm
by LostinOblivion
Summary: Sequel to Fragile Weight. The plane is on the ground, the team is on the way to the hospital, and one profiler is in over her head. Hints of Morgan/Prentiss.
1. Chapter 1

_This follows my story, "Fragile Weight', which if you haven't, this won't make too much sense to you. _

* * *

Garcia spotted the guys as she was power-walking and trying to affix the security label the hospital insisted she wear. She'd been in hospitals enough to know they meant that, and so tried to find a place on her colorful outfit for it. She caught the guys heading into an elevator, and immediately let out a sequel. "Oh! Oh! Wait for me!"

Hotch turned and saw her, the last to board, and immediately slammed a hand over the edge of the closing door. Garcia hurried over, and immediately latched on to Morgan. "How's Emily? Is the baby alright? Where's JJ?"

"Whoa, babygirl, put on the brakes. One question at a time," Morgan told her.

"Sorry, I'm just..." Rather than pick an adjective she rang her hands.

"Yeah, we know. JJ rode in the ambulance with Emily, as far as we know everyone's alright. We just got here."

She took Morgan's hand in hers, and squeezed it anxiously. When the doors opened, Hotch took the lead, Rossi beside him, and Garcia rushing Morgan after them, with a rather whipped-looking Reid taking up the rear.

They found JJ pacing slowly outside Emily's room, phone in her hand, likely explaining things to Will. She hastily ended the conversation as she saw a nurse coming, stowing the phone in her pocket. Then she saw the quintet coming toward her.

"The doctor is in there examining her, and they have the baby in neonatal. We're waiting." JJ didn't wait for them to ask.

"No problems on the way over?" Rossi asked.

"Not that I could tell."

They were interrupted as a woman in a white coat and scrubs came out of the room, stopping suddenly as she saw the small congregation. Shorter, with dark curls, brown eyes, and deep golden skin, she stared briefly at the group before gathering her bearings back. "I'm Dr. Cordes, are you all here for Emily?"

"Yes, they are doctor. Agent Reid delivered the baby," JJ explained, gesturing toward the young genius.

Cordes brightened and held a hand out to him. "Well, you may have missed your calling, Agent Reid. Aside from her blood pressure being a little high, Emily is doing just fine."

Reid shook her hand, and nodded, still too shaken from the whole thing to really appreciate what she was saying. All he kept seeing was what could have happened if he messed up.

"We're going to monitor her for a couple of days, which we usually do with traumatic deliveries, but I'm not worried. You can go in and see her, now." She nodded to the group, and disappeared down the hallway.

Without another word, they began piling into the room, where one nurse was leaving, a test tube of blood in her hands, and a second nurse was focused on the monitoring equiptment. Emily was somewhere in between sitting up and laying down, but more so on the former, and she looked better than she had on the plane. Though the hospital gown just made her ivory skin look paler, and she looked almost relieved to see them.

Garica wasted not a moment, and swooped in, bestowing a tight hug on the profiler. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

Emily looked at them, dubious expression on her face. "Honestly?" Garcia nodded, and she sighed. "Scared, anxious, and unbelievably stupid."

They amassed around the room, Garcia plopping one chair beside the bed, JJ in the other, and the guys perching around the room: Hotch by the door, Rossi leaned against a stack of drawers, Reid by the window, and Morgan leaning against Garica's chair.

"Did the doctor explain anything?" JJ asked.

"Not really. She said that sometimes this just happens, there's no symptoms, or they're so mild you don't recognize them...at least now I know why my pants don't fit anymore."

"What do you know, Jayje, she wasn't just being paranoid, she did gain a little weight." Garcia shot the Liaison a look.

"I told you," Emily sniped. A recent shopping trip had found Emily struggling to fit in her usual size pants, and Garcia and JJ telling her it was just cut small and she was getting upset over nothing.

JJ held up hands in surrender. "It wasn't very noticeable."

Hotch cleared his throat, and interrupted them. "I've spoke to human resources on the way here, and they've already put you on maternity leave. I just need to sign the papers."

Emily nodded. "Thanks."

"Is there anyone you'd like us to call? Your mother? Uh, boyfriend?" That was incredibly awkward, more for him than her; Hotch preferred to stay as far from his agent's personal lives as possible. Even if they were family, he was still the boss, and conversations like this were just...uncomfortable.

"No, I don't have the energy to argue with my mother right now, or explain this to anyone." It hadn't occurred to her until they were in the ambulance-the baby had a father that she obviously needed to have a conversation with. She knew who it was, but needed confirmation on how long she'd been pregnant.

"Ooh! No one told me, is it a boy or girl?" Garica suddenly cried, hands clasped together excitedly.

"Girl," Emily replied quietly.

Garica's face suddenly lit up with excitement. "Oh, I'm going to have so much fun dressing her, I can't wait to start shopping!"

JJ shot Emily a knowing look, as the guys all chuckled...well, Hotch at least smiled. They waited almost an hour until a different doctor showed up, and they were all a little concerned to see him empty handed.

"Hi Emily, I'm Troy Weaver, I'm the neonate specialist overseeing your daughter's care." He held a hand out to her.

Emily started at the reference to 'her daughter', but took his hand. Every cell in her body was tense on alert, and the knot in her stomach coiled tighter. "Is she okay?"

"She is." He turned to the men scattered in the room. "Which one of you gentlemen is tha proud papa?"

None of the guys seemed to know what to say, but fortunately, Prentiss saved them. "None of them. Their friends, uh family actually...all of them."

Weaver appeared momentarily confused before, his cautious smile came back on. "Well, I'll just press on then. I'm putting her gestation period at about 35 weeks, which is considered preterm, but definitely on the healthy side. She's 5 pounds, 4 ounces, and about 18 and 3/4 inches. From what I've been told about your pregnancy and delivery, that's nothing short of miraculous. She is in the low birth-weight category, which in this case means the fatty deposits under her skin haven't had time to grow properly. But, I am happy to say that her lungs sound very good, and she's breathing without any problems. Preliminary blood tests were clean, and we've got some more invovled ones running, but I'm not really concerned. She's well developed and strong," he paused, watching her. "You can breathe now, Emily."

She hadn't realized she was holding her breath until it came whooshing out of her mouth. He smiled, and continued.

"Since she's on the small side, we're keeping her in an incubator. It will keep her in a womb-like setting while she continues to develop. I don't foresee needing to keep her more than a week. The other good news, is that she's healthy enough for you to hold and try to feed." He paused again to study her. "Would you like to go see her?"

Emily nodded slowly, running her tongue over her lips, and swallowing the giant lump in her throat, still trying to remember to breathe.

"And, I take it, you'll all be joining?" He asked the rest of them.

They all turned to Emily to confirm she wanted them, but she seemed a bit dazed, so Hotch took the lead as always. "Yes, we'd like to."

"I'll send a nurse in with a wheelchair then." He disappeared back into the hallway leaving them alone again. All the attention in the room returned to Emily, who was staring rather intently, though blankly in front of her. A look that suggested she was trying very hard to work something out in her head.

As were they all.

The room fell into a not entirely uncomfortable silence as they each contemplated the day's events, trying to get their heads around everything. This morning they'd been parked at a dinner five minutes from their hotel, having breakfast and much needed coffee, all happy and relaxed after another case closed. JJ had been teasing Morgan about the amount of syrup he used on his pancakes, until Reid pointed out that it wasn't even real syrup, just gelatinous sugar goop. Prentiss had been pretty quiet, which was a little unusual, but nothing they worried about. It was strange to think she'd probably been having contractions at the time.

"Hello, hello," a young nurse greeted, breathy, high-pitched voice and a smile stretched across her face from ear to ear as she directed a wheel chair to the bed. "You ready to go see your baby, mom?"

Emily stared at the girl like she was a peculiar and distasteful new species, one she'd rather not interact with. Morgan quickly pulled out one of his most useful skills, and turned the charm on full-blast.

He smiled, and rested a hand on her shoulder, the young woman becoming suddenly flustered. "Derek Morgan, how about you come with me and point out the way to the NICU. These ladies can assist Emily into the chair, and we'll be happy to take her ourselves."

"Oh, alright, sure." Her voice had become even more breathy as she allowed Morgan to lead her out of the room.

"That man could charm the habit off a nun," Emily commented, already shimming toward the edge of the bed.

Garcia chuckled, as she helped Emily into the chair. "With that smile? He could charm the whole convent."

Emily's smile was cut-off as she winced her way into the wheel chair, her whole body aching as she moved. JJ had looked so composed and happy after she had Henry, and it made her wonder how the younger woman had pulled it off.

Morgan poked his head back in. "We all ready?"

* * *

Once they got to the NICU, after confirming once again that none of the four men were the baby's father, a nurse took hold of the wheelchair, and brought Emily into the room. The team stood outside the large glass window, until a second nurse came out, and directed them toward an incubator on the far end.

Rather than the simple plastic bassinets of the regular neonatal unit, the babies in the NICU each had their own area with an army of machines at their disposal. The team could see tiny red bodies practically covered by wires and tubes, machines monitoring their every movement. Emily's baby was much luckier. She was bigger and healthier looking than many of the babies they could see, and she was only being monitored. She wore only a little pink hat, a diaper, and a hospital band on her tiny wrist.

"Oh, she so small," Garica cooed. Emily appeared on the other side of the glass, eyes immediately finding her child, though filled with trepidation. She reached a hand into one of the wholes of the incubator and caressed the baby's arm. As Garcia watched her friend, she couldn't stop herself from blurting, "My god, she looks absolutely terrified."

"Wouldn't you?" JJ glanced at her.

"Yeah, that is an awful lot to lay on a person in a few hours," Rossi commented.

"Has it really only been a few hours?" Hotch sighed, looking as his watch. Four hours since the plane took off. That's it. More than a few, less than several.

"The idea that time moves quicker when you're busy is a physical impossibility. Time is a universal invariant. It's really just a trick of the mind," Reid commented, barely paying attention as he watched through the glass.

They watched then as a nurse had a brief conversation with Emily, and drew the curtain around the little cubicle that held mother and child. The team was slightly alarmed, concerned that something might be wrong, but none made to move. They didn't have much of a chance to wonder what was going on before a nurse popped outside, and introduced herself.

"I'm Mallory. We have Emily doing something called Kangaroo care now, skin to skin contact with the baby, so it requires a little privacy. She asked to me tell you all to go home and relax before you get called in again, that she would be fine." She noted their hesitation. "Honestly folks, she's going to be in there awhile, and then we'll get her back to her room to sleep until the baby's hungry, and she'll be back here again. There's not much you can do, and we'll take good care of both of them."

Whether it was her words of reassurance or her warm smile, they either nodded, or released a pent up breath, comfortable more or less that the crisis was at an end. Emily was fine, and the baby was healthy enough. With a last encouraging smile, the nurse turned and headed back inside.

"What a day," Rossi mumbled, earning agreeing nod from Hotch.

"You guys go ahead, I'm going to hang around," Morgan informed them. At their questioning looks, he explained. "She shouldn't be alone right now, no matter how fine she says she is."

The truth was he wanted to continue their brief conversation in the jet bathroom, he wanted to make sure she was okay, and he wanted to give her someone to confide in, to unload on, if she needed it.

Hotch nodded. "You'll let us know if anything changes? If she needs anything?"

"Yeah, I'll make sure," he promised. They began to head out then, JJ and Garcia simultaneously stopping beside him.

"You want company, hotstuff?"

"No, you go on home, babygirl, I got this covered." Garcia smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek, and started to head off.

"Tell her we'll come by tomorrow," JJ asked him.

"With baby gifts!" Garcia called.

"Will do," he said loud enough for both of them to hear. To JJ he added. "Make sure she doesn't go too crazy yet."

The media liaison smirked. "As if I have any control over her?"

* * *

Emily obediently switched hospital gowns to one that opened in front, and then sat back down in the wheelchair. Her whole body was hot with the nervous energy that combined with fear, and manifested in her trembling hands. The nurse gently lifted the baby from the incubator, and helped settle her against Emily's bare chest. The infant's head rested between her breasts, hands curled up against her ribs, legs bent and resting on her belly. she pulled the sides of the gown over the baby, and the nurse added a small blanket since the fabric was so thin.

With a smile and a gentle squeeze on her shoulder, the nurse went to tend with other other babies and mothers, leaving Emily alone with the baby. Not entirely alone, but more than she'd been all day. With her shaky hands gently holding the baby to her chest, and her stomach still churning painfully with uncertainty, Emily wasn't convinced that was a good idea. The baby squirmed, adjusting herself and her positioned, and Emily's heartbeat jumped, afraid she'd already done something wrong. Then the baby settled, using her left breast as a pillow, and falling asleep quickly.

For the second time in a day, Emily released a breath she hadn't consciously held. She ran a hand gently over the baby's back, feeling the infant relax even more completely against her. She looked down then at the baby's peaceful face, and her thin, fragile little body, and felt so instantly overwhelmed, tears gathered in her eyes. She held the baby tighter as the tears slid down her cheeks, as if cuddling her close could protect her from how unprepared her mother was, unprepared in every way possible.

When she got her tears under control she began to sing to baby, as the nurse had suggested, so she would know her mother's voice. It was a french song her grandfather had taught her when she was young. In the middle of nowhere, he had to find some way to entertain a little girl, and she loved the song about a crocodile going to war. Maybe not entirely appropriate to comfort a newborn, but then the only other thing she could think of was the Lizzie Borden rhyme she'd learned in a college criminology course, which was far more inappropriate.

Eventually her hands stopped shaking, and it got easier to breathe. She wasn't exactly comfortable with the situation, but it was at least manageable. Until the baby started to wiggle again, slow, delicate movements, her soft skin brushing against Emily's. Then she began to panic again. Waking up now, the baby began to move her head around, face turning into her mother's skin. Emily called for the nurse.

"What do you need, honey?" The woman then noted the baby's movements and recognition dawned on her. "Oh, someone's hungry."

There ensued a conversation about breastfeeding, which essentially determined that Emily had never done it before, and knew virtually nothing about it. Besides that teeth hurt, courtesy of JJ. So, the nurse very patiently explained the process, and how to go about it. Fortunately, the baby seemed to know what she was doing, and made Emily's part of it fairly easily. She jumped slightly when the baby latched on, startled at the unfamiliar sensation, but soon relaxed into the process. When she finished, Emily burped her without any help. That she knew how to do from babysitting Henry.

So, maybe she wasn't so horrible at this.

* * *

_This is not the end. I started writing this, and my head was reluctant to quit, so while I'm not done, I know that will be two or three more chapters. Also, if you all like this, I'll continue writing this plot-line as a series, though I predict them being the length more of the first story. Thank you for reading, and reviews tell me you want me to keep writing. :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you all very much for the earlier reviews, here's the next part!_

* * *

As the young nurse named Mallory wheeled her back into her room, Emily began to feel the day-hell, the week-catching up to her. She wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep though, not with the nervous energy and adrenaline still coursing through her. When they entered her room, she found a surprise.

"Morgan?"

He looked up from the book in his hands, and straightened himself up on the chair by the bed. "Hey."

"Have you been here this whole time?" Mallory smiled at Morgan, and disappeared out the door.

He assisted her back into the bed, mindful of her slightly revealing attire. "Yeah, how's the baby?"

"Good, she breastfed without a problem, the nurse says that's a good sign that she won't need to be in the NICU for long."

"That's good. I figured she'd be tough, already takes after her mama." He smiled.

Emily returned it, though hers was visibly tired. "So, why didn't you go home with everyone else?"

Morgan looked at her seriously then, and took one of her hands. "You just went through an incredibly traumatic experience, I wasn't about to let you be alone...So, you want to tell me how you really are, because I know you aren't fine."

"Overwhelmed and ill-suited," she said flatly.

"Overwhelmed I get, but ill-suited? Why's that?"

Emily looked away then, her throat growing tight, and ran her tongue over her lips before looking back at him. "I'm scared to death of her."

That surprised him enough that he physically backed away. He knew she was upset and scared by the whole thing, but to hear her say it so honestly threw him off a little. He held her hand tighter, and finally said, "Talk to me."

She leaned back in bed and closed her eyes, sighing. When she opened them, she looked at him. "I can't get my head around this...Morgan, I had an almost 5 1/2 pound little person living in my abdomen, and I didn't know it."

"You make it sound like you had a hobbit camping out inside you."

Prentiss laughed through her nose. "Right now, it feels about as weird."

Morgan's eyebrows went up. "Seriously? Those two scenarios fall on the same place on the weirdness scale for you?"

"While I'm living one of them, sure."

He released a light laugh at that. "I get that. Reality is a lot freakier than fantasy."

"What the hell kind of candidate for motherhood do I make when I hadn't the slightest clue she was there?"

He held up empty hands. "It happens...?"

Her expression turned dubious. "Did you really just say that?"

"Well, I'm sure you aren't the first woman it happened to, and in case you hadn't notice, you practically live with four profilers and a woman who's probably picked up enough to be a profiler, and not one of us had a clue either. And, then there's Garcia who's..."

"Garcia?" As if that explained it.

"Yes. She does not boast about her omnipotence without cause."

"Yeah, but the difference is, the baby wasn't in any of your bodies."

He smiled at that. "Now that would be weird."

"Weirder than the hobbit?"

"Tough call."

She grew quiet again, so Morgan just sat patiently, holding her hand. "Did you ever read those books?"

"Tolkien?"

"Yeah."

"Sure. I needed to find something after I got through Vonnegut. I decided to attack a lot of the classic sci-fi/fantasy genre-Tolkien, Heinlein, Bradbury, Niven, McCaffrey, Hitchhiker's Guide..."

She chuckled. "Don't forget your towel."

He smiled. "Speaking of books," he said, handing her what he'd been reading. 1001 Baby Names. "Found it in the gift shop."

"That's good because I haven't got a clue...thank you."

"Sure. There's some good ones in there, and there's the ones that are equivalent to punishment."

"Gertrude."

"Hildegarde."

"Fannie."

"Faith."

"Chastity...though, in retrospect maybe my mother should have named me that." Maybe that reminder would have saved her a lot of grief.

"You think with that as a name you would have stayed chaste until marriage?" He asked, disbelieving.

"Hell no. Might have stopped me from some stupid decisions though."

"Like would led to this?"

"No."

"Mind if I ask?" He didn't want to pry, but he did want to know why the baby's father wasn't there, why she hadn't even called him yet.

"Depends on what you're going to ask." She hadn't moved her eyes from the book, as she studied names and flipped pages.

"Why isn't he here?"

"I haven't called him." When he didn't respond, Emily looked up from the book to see the look he was giving her-don't be a smart-ass. She sighed. "This would have been maybe a week or two after she was conceived, I was going to break up with him, but he beat me to it. Apparently, he reconciled with his wife."

Morgan opened his mouth, but all he managed was, "Ouch."

"Mmm, so I know he won't come running if I call. He'll say he can't be involved, is my guess."

"With his own child?"

She ignored the hostility in his tone. "He's already got three, and maintaining his life with his family will be more important than this."

"This is his child, how can a man walk away from his own child?"

Seeing how upset it made him, Emily calmly marked her place in the book with a hand, and looked him straight in the eyes. "Not every man is like you...besides, he hasn't actually walked away yet. I'll call him tomorrow."

"But, you expect him to."

Emily's jaw tightened as she looked away, and rather than continue the uncomfortable conversation, she blatantly switched the topic. "I'm not sure about names."

Morgan sighed, but played along. "You could stick with the E thing your mother had going on...Ellen, Elaine, Emma, Evelyn..."

She shook her head. "I don't think that was even intentional on her part, she just liked Emily."

"Any names stick out at you?"

"I don't know, I kind of like Madelyn, people could call her Maddy, I like Rebbecca, I kind of like Laurel, but that sounds too much like the pathetic heroine in a bodice ripper."

Morgan's eyebrows rose at that, and he couldn't help by smile. "So, no to Laurel then."

"I like Vivienne, but I automatically think Vivien Leigh, and then Scarlett O'Hara, and that seems a lot of connotations to stick a kid with."

He chuckled. "What about Adrienne? It's got the same ending, I saw that in the front of the girl's section."

Emily flipped through the book, to the beginning of the girl's names, and she scanned through until she found it. "I like that. Ooh, what about Adelyn?"

"It's pretty, different, kind of sounds Old English-like."

She raised her eyebrows. "Is that a good thing?"

Morgan shrugged. "It's not bad."

She nodded and thought for a minute. "What do you think of Adelyn Rose?"

"Adelyn Rose Prentiss? I like that. Rose is sort of ultra-feminine."

"Good. When she's inherited my big feet and the low tenor of my voice, and all the kids in her class are teasing her, she can start using her middle name."

"You were teased in school for not being feminine?" She was plenty feminine as far as he was concerned.

"I was teased for a lot of different things. The new girl is always tormented, and I was always the new girl...that's at least one thing I can give her."

Morgan frowned. "What's that?"

She started, almost like she'd been talking to herself, then said, "Stability."

* * *

As relaxed as she'd been talking to Morgan, the nerves bubbled up inside her when Mallory came into the room, and announced that the baby was hungry. Not the baby. Adelyn. Adelyn was hungry. Her daughter. Her daughter, Adelyn, needed to be fed.

It was still very difficult to get her mind around. But the name, it made the baby...not more real, but more hers. Even holding her so close during kangaroo care, there was still a distance, a difficulty accepting the infant as hers. Giving her name, that was really her first step toward accepting that responsibility, and it made Emily all the more nervous to see her.

So, she decided to take Morgan along. He was more than happy to wheel her to the NICU, pleased that he could be useful. It was when they got there though, that he was less confident about actually going inside.

"Don't you want, uh privacy?" He asked.

"You saw me naked from the waist down this afternoon, this is nothing." That fact hadn't escaped her attention, but there was very little she could do about it now.

Morgan shifted uneasily. It wasn't that he didn't want to go in, but the whole thing made him feel awkward and uneasy. Henry was the smallest baby he'd ever held, a healthy full-term newborn; these tiny, fragile pre-term babies kind of made him feel like a bull in a china shop. Not to mention that watching Prentiss breastfeed seemed like a very intimate...uh, activity.

"Please?" She asked softly, and he realized she was still scared of the whole thing. He nodded then, and wheeled her inside, over toward the corner with Adelyn. Emily put a hand over his and squeezed, offering her silent thanks.

Mallory lifted the baby out, and handed her to Emily, allowing the new mother to position the newborn herself. Morgan looked away when she began opening her hospital gown, determined to be a gentleman, even if she said it wasn't necessary. His mother taught him better than that.

"You can look now, I'm covered," Emily told him once she'd gotten situated, amusement coloring her voice.

She had the baby cradled in one arm, the longer side of her gown wrapped over her tiny form, and a blanket adding extra insulation. Her other hand was hidden beneath the blankets, further contact with the baby. Much of the fear he'd seen earlier when she'd first been brought to see the baby had softened. It was still there, in her eyes, but her whole body was no longer tense with the need to escape.

"You know, you may think you're ill-suited, but from where I'm sitting, you're doing fine," he told her.

"Thanks. I guess it gets a little less terrifying the more I'm with her." She paused and then said, "It helps that you're here."

He smiled. "Whatever I can do."

They sat quietly, Emily's hand moving as she softly caressed the baby's back, Morgan listening to the little sucking noises baby Adelyn made. It was definitely not what he'd expected to be doing when he woke up that morning, not something he could have even fathomed. It was weird, and a little scary, to think that for the last eight or so months, she'd been pregnant.

Everything they'd done. Every house they'd busted into, every suspect they'd chased and taken down, every crime scene they'd scoured. She'd had a little baby growing in her womb during all of it. Every time they'd been up until three a.m. guzzling coffee, inhaling left-over chinese, and cursing over a lack of progress. Every time they'd been side by side, guns drawn, advancing into a dangerous situation, her baby was in jeopardy. One messy tangle with an unsub, and she could have lost her baby. Hell, she'd been in that car accident earlier in the year, she was lucky she hadn't lost it then. If she'd even been pregnant then.

He watched Emily carefully manuver the baby up to her shoulder, and tap her back softly until a cough and a milk bubble erupted. "Do you want to hold her?" She suddenly asked, throwing him off.

"Uh, um..."

"You won't hurt her. If I haven't broken her yet, I doubt you could."

He reached an arm behind himself and scratched his neck. "I've never held a baby that small."

"Neither had I until today." At least she wasn't the only one totally freaked out by that.

"Alright, uh, do I need to um...?" He gestured to his shirt.

"You can if you want, the skin contact is good for her." Morgan nodded, and pulled his shirt over his head, exposing a beautifully sculpted chest. Not the first time Emily had seen him shirtless, but that didn't make her enjoy the view any less.

She carefully moved the baby from her shoulder, and she fussed at the change. "Shh, it's alright Addy," Emily soothed.

"Addy? I like that, it's cute." Morgan said as she settle the baby gently on his firm chest.

His breath catching in his throat, Morgan set one arm under the baby's bottom, and used the other to tuck the blanket around her, before resting it on her back. Addy blinked up at him with her mother's brown eyes. "Hey, little princess."

Seemingly satisfied with that, she let her head droop, wiggled around, and got comfortable. He marveled at the feel of her little hand clenching against his chest, and the warmth of her tiny little body over his heart. When he released the breath he'd been holding, and his chest lowered, then expanded with a new one, she curled herself tighter and nuzzled against him, holding on tighter.

"Are you okay?"

Morgan looked up to see Emily studying him. "Yeah, it's kind of surreal, you know?"

She nodded. "Tell me about it."

She was in a NICU with shirtless Derek Morgan cuddling the premature infant she'd given birth to in the bathroom of the jet, on the way back from a case, that poor Reid had delivered like a pro. An infant she hadn't know existed until she'd gone into labor. If that wasn't the very definition of surreal, she didn't know what was.

When they got back to her room later, and she finally curled up for some much needed rest, Morgan stole out into the hallway. He drew his phone from his pocket, and dialed a number he'd had memorized since he was five.

"Hi Mama, I just held the tiniest baby..."


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning Emily was feeling a little less unsure, a little less scared to death, and a little less blind-sided. That's what an afternoon and night of feeding and cuddling will do. The nurses had been thrilled with how well Addy was eating and that she hadn't developed any respiratory problems. Emily managed to put aside much of the terror she was feeling, and be pleased and proud of her baby girl. And, Morgan had been a god-send. Neither of them had slept much, but she wasn't going anywhere, and it was a Saturday, so she sent him home to get a little sleep.

He'd asked if she was sure she'd be alright about six times before she threatened him with bodily harm if he didn't go and get some sleep. He went.

After the morning feeding, she'd had her hand on the phone in her room, ready to dial her mother when someone knocked on the door. It was not one of the team, a doctor or a nurse, but a woman in her early fifties, with curly ash brown hair, silver-framed glasses, and a folder and legal pad in her hands. Prentiss did not need to guess to figure out who she was.

"I'm Sylvia Anderson, a counselor with the hospital." She offered Emily her hand, which the profiler only accepted out of politesse.

"Emily Prentiss."

"I can see you're less than thrilled to see me. I'm just here to talk to you, and make sure you're handling everything alright. As I understand it, you had a rather traumatic delivery experience?"

"Sure. Airplane bathroom, at 35,000 feet with a friend delivering, I guess that qualifies." It sure as hell felt that way while it was happening.

"And, I was told you didn't know you were pregnant before you delivered, right?" There was no judgment or disbelief in her face, but then she'd been trained to hide what she really thought.

"Right."

"How do you feel about that?"

"Stupid."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Not really."

Sylvia frowned. "Emily, I'm only trying to help you."

Prentiss sighed. "It doesn't matter what you tell me or don't. I should have known...somehow, I should have known she was there. And, I didn't."

"Why should you have known?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Because, it's typically a hard thing to miss. Because I should know what's going on with my own body. Because I'm not usually that dense-and don't try to justify why I didn't know, or point out that it's happened to other women, that doesn't change anything."

"Alright..." Sylvia began cautiously, "how do you feel about being a mother?"

"Better then I did yesterday, but still scared and unsure, which the nurses have already assured me is perfectly normal."

"It is. Do you want to be a mother, Emily?"

She nodded. "Yes."

The counselor smiled. "Have you named her yet?"

"Adelyn Rose."

"That's very pretty."

"You'd say that if I'd picked Chastity Hildegarde."

Sylvia chuckled. "No, I'd have said it was unique, and then secretly hoped she grew up to be very pretty or very talented."

Emily smiled at that. "Poor kid."

"How do you feel about Adelyn?"

Prentiss frowned and thought a minute. "Less afraid. I know I'm supposed to say I loved her the minute I saw her, that I already couldn't imagine life without her, but honestly...I didn't want anything to do with her when I saw her. And, I still can't quite accept that she's mine."

"Emily, you aren't supposed to say or feel anything. It's understandable that you haven't connected with the baby yet, most women get to spend nine months bonding with their babies before they arrive. Give yourself time."

The profiler watched the counselor, intellectually understanding what she was saying, but emotionally it didn't mean anything. Sylvia seemed to notice this, and so switched topics. "So, what about your family? Have you told them about Adelyn?"

"Most of them were with me when she was born."

Sylvia frowned and scanned through a file. "I thought you were on an FBI jet with your colleagues?"

"Yes, I was. We're a close knit group, we consider each other family."

"Oh, alright. They're your support system then? Any blood relatives? Adelyn's father?"

"They're my main support system, and they've been very supportive. As for blood...only my mother, and I was about to call her when someone decided I needed to get my head shrunk." She didn't mean for it to sound as sarcastic as it did, but sometimes she just couldn't help herself.

Sylvia smiled. "And, Adelyn's father?"

"I was going to call him after my mother."

"Well, in that case, I think we've talked enough today, I'll come by tomorrow, alright?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No, you don't." She shut her folder, and rose from the chair, heading out the door. "See you tomorrow, Emily."

Emily sighed, and reached for the phone again, dialing the embassy in Bahrain, and conversing briefly in Arabic before getting transferred to the Ambassador's secretary. She almost rolled her eyes when the young woman on the end of the line went with the standard line about the ambassador's busy schedule and may she ask who's calling so she could deliver a message.

"Her daughter, it's an emergency."

"Oh, I'm sorry Ms. Prentiss, one moment please." And, then she was faced with the classical version of muzak. It took a good ten minutes, which had she not been used to it, she'd have hung up already.

"Emily?"

"Hello mother."

"Jeanie said it was an emergency, what's wrong?"

Emily started. "Your secretary's name is Genie?"

"It's a nickname from her childhood. What's going on, I'm back and forth in meetings today."

This time she didn't restrain herself, and let her eyes roll as far as they pleased. "I just wanted to tell you..." Oh shit, how was she supposed to say this? "Tell you..."

"Tell me what, Emily? I really only have a few minutes-"

"I had a baby," she blurted out. Crickets. Utter silence.

"What?"

"I had a baby yesterday, you're finally a grandmother." More silence.

"You...you never mentioned you were pregnant."

"I didn't know, not until I went into labor." She winced, bracing herself for the oncoming tirade.

"What? What do you mean you didn't know? How can you not know something like that? You didn't notice you got fat? Or missed your period? Or anything else?" The condescending disbelief in her voice nearly made Prentiss hang up.

"I didn't gain more than 7 or 8 pounds, Mother. And, I had spotting that I thought was my period, otherwise, there were no symptoms."

"So you just, what? Went into spontaneous labor?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"That sounds...awful."

"It sucked." Her mother would love that description.

"So, what did you have then? Do I have a grandson or a granddaughter?"

"A girl, I named her Adelyn," Emily took a breath in, "she was born with brown eyes...like you said I was."

"I told you our genes are strong. God, you were such a beautiful baby, I loved showing you off."

Emily managed a small smile at that, and when she inhaled, the breath felt tight in her chest. She sought reassurance in the one person who should be able to provide it. "Hey mom-"

She was cut-off by a garbled male voice, likely an aid by her mother's ear. "Hang on, Em."

She listened to a fuzzy exchange of male and female voices until her mother got back on. "Sorry Emily, you were saying-" The ambassador sighed loudly then. "Hold on."

It wasn't worth the effort.

"I'm sorry, you know how it is."

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll send you pictures when I get a chance."

"I'll come visit when I can. Give my new grandbaby a kiss for me," she said excitedly, likely about to head off to some function.

"Sure. Bye."

"Goodbye, Emily." And, then she was gone.

Prentiss took deep breaths, suffocating the emotion seizing her chest, pushing back the tears stuck in her throat. Just as she taught herself as a child. Then she shook her head, shaking away the fleeting disappointment. She knew what to expect with her mother, it shouldn't bother her now. Slamming on the same mask she wore at ghastly crime scenes, she picked up the phone again.

"Yes?" A voice abruptly demanded. She used to find that voice sexy, now it just sound arrogant.

"It's Emily."

"Em? I uh, I'm still with my wife, we worked things out, I can't really-"

"That's not why I'm calling. I...I had a baby yesterday. Our baby." Dead silence.

Then, "Uh, you didn't uh, tell me you were uh..."

She really didn't remember him stuttering so much. "It's a long story. It's a girl, she was pre-term, too small, but she's doing okay."

More silence, and then he sighed. "Look kid, I can't get involved with this, Lynie finds out I was with someone during the split and she'll take my balls, my kids, and half my money plus alimony in a divorce-"

"I know, I'm not asking you to be involved." God, why had she found that 'Kid' thing sweet? He was 49, ripe for midlife crisis age (she was apparently his alternative to a sports car), and thought he was fucking Bogart. He'd actually said 'Here's lookin' at you, Kid' once. She laughed. Now, the thought made her gag.

"Do you need money, cause I can do that, I-"

"No, Max. I don't need money. I'll be fine, the baby will be fine, I just thought you should know she existed."

"Well uh, thanks for that."

"Sure, bye." She hung up before he could respond, and once again began to breathe deeply around the emotion in her chest. Once she'd banished it, she hung her head, and groaned into her hands, declaring, "Damn it, Garica was right."

"About what, Sweatpea?"

Emily's head flew up, mouth open in shock. "Jesus, when did you turn into a genie?"

The tech smiled, bags in her hands, JJ by her side, looking rather amused. "Haven't yet. I'm not that much of an amateur, I don't require some lamp, I just come when you say my name."

"JJ always come with you?" Emily smirked.

"Depends on who calls. So, what was I right about? I always like to keep a list of these things." They brought the chairs around to the same side of the bed, so the three were gathered like gossiping school girls.

"Just that I have terrible taste in men."

The blond and the redhead exchanged a look, until JJ commented. "You just felt the need to voice this to an empty room?"

"Huh? Oh no, I was just on the phone with-" She stopped, remembering she hadn't really told them much about him.

"Babydaddy?" Garcia guessed anyway.

"Yeah."

"Are we going to get to meet him?" JJ asked.

"No, you aren't."

Both women looked surprised, though it was Garcia who spoke, stuttering with surprise. "But, he's not going to...but, his own daughter?"

Emily shook her head. "So yes, terrible taste."

"So, you're going to do the single mom thing, then?"

"Guess so."

"Are you okay with that?" JJ asked, uncertainty written in her youthful features.

"Does it matter?"

"Well...yeah, you have a right to at least child support."

"I don't want his money, I can handle that. He already offered anyway, I turned him down." Emily shifted around in the bed, uncomfortable with the conversation.

"What are you going to tell her when she's older, and asks about her daddy?" Garcia pried gently.

"That I made a mistake, that had nothing to do with her, and that I don't regret it."

"Do you regret it?" JJ asked, voice so soft Emily almost didn't hear her.

She turned to the window, thinking about how to answer, before looking back at her friends again. "I don't know, but I hope by the time she's old enough to ask, I won't."

The blond nodded, not completely understanding, but enough not to judge. She didn't regret Henry, never even considered not having him, or not keeping him. JJ adored her son, but she'd had nine months to get used to the idea of him before he was actually there. Emily hadn't even had a full 24 hours yet.

"Well, this is an awfully dour mood for a celebratory occasion," Garcia commented, voice high and bright.

"Sorry, it's been kind of a dour morning," Emily apologized.

"Oh?"

"Hospital sent someone to shrink my head, which is always a good time, and then I spoke to my mother, which might actually have been worse. And, then..." She waved a hand in gesture.

"Well then, it's a good thing we're here," Garcia declared, went to reach for a bag, and suddenly looked around the room. "Where is that yummy hunk of man meat we left here yesterday?"

"I made him go home this morning, we didn't sleep much last night."

"Oh, well before we get to all this, how's the newest addition to our team doing?"

Emily smiled then. "She's good, eating a lot, the nurses say that's a really good sign. And, pooping and peeing regularly, which also made them very happy."

"Did you pick out a name yet?" JJ asked.

"Yes actually, Morgan helped me. Adelyn Rose."

"Pretty, and old-fashioned sounding," Garcia commented thoughtfully.

Emily nodded. "I've been calling her Addy."

"That's cute." JJ smiled.

"So, now we can get into presents-and don't object to how much or what, or anything, understand?" Garcia eyed her.

The profiler raised empty hands in surrender.

"Alright, these are just some things you can use here, by no means the end of my shopping fun. Jayje handled the mommy things, and I got to pick out the cutest little outfits," Garcia practically squealed, picking up a bag and passing it to Emily. "Okay, this one has baby things."

She took it, and pulled out a few tiny folded up footies of various pastel colors (with matching hats), a soft blanket that was dark brown on one side and light blue with polka dots on the other, a fuzzy footie with a monkey on the front, and a pacifier.

"She'll be nice and warm when you take her home, and hopefully quiet."

"Thank you, I really do appreciate it," she said, squeezing Garcia's hand.

"My pleasure, sweetie. You know I love to baby shop...Oh! And, we've got a car seat and diapers and such that we'll leave in your apartment, except the car seat, that you'll need."

"What time did you guys get up to shop this morning?" She asked incredulously.

"We actually went yesterday after we left," JJ explained. "Someone couldn't contain her enthusiasm long enough to wait."

"Hey, hey, you were buzzing with adrenaline too," the tech defended.

"Well, thank you both very much, you just gave me a few less things to worry about." She silently thanked god or well, whoever for putting her on the BAU team, without them she didn't have much of a support system.

"Oh, we're not done yet. These," Garcia said, passing the second bag, "are things for you."

Emily took the bag, wondering what they'd decided she'd need, relieved to have someone with experience to do things like this for her. The first thing she found was pajamas, three pairs, all with button down tops. She looked at JJ, "Have I ever told you I loved you?"

The liaison laughed. "I spent most of my maternity leave in the same few pairs of pajamas, the convenience and comfort can't be beat."

The profiler's face took a big, goofy grin. "I don't have to wear this stupid gown anymore."

"There's this as well," JJ held up a bag with a box inside without passing it to her. "Breast pump, since you'll be leaving before Addy, you'll need it."

Emily nodded. "Does it feel weird?"

"A little, you get used to it, along with the idea of being milked like a cow at a dairy farm."

"Oh well, thanks, and thanks for that image."

"Yeah Jayje, thanks for that," Garcia agreed, looking slightly horrified.

Emily and JJ shared a look, their smiles turning conspiratory before their attention went to the tech analyst. "So," JJ began, "when's your turn?"

Garcia looked between them, puzzled. "What?"

"Well, I've got Henry, and Emily's got Addy now, when can we expect you and Kevin to pop out a super-hacker?"

The redhead took on an alarmed look. "Oh, I don't think so."

"You don't want your own?" Emily asked seriously.

"Not really. I prefer to borrow, dress stylishly, and return them to their mommys and daddys."

"But, you'd be a good mom," JJ said.

"No, I wouldn't. I'd be neurotic and paranoid, and I'd hug them too much, and end up raising serial killers. I'd rather save you guys the future work."

Emily laughed. "Garcia, you wouldn't raise serial killers. Not a chance."

"You're so sure?" She challenged.

"Yes. You'd raise kids who were secure in being whoever and whatever they were, no matter how far outside convention, and that knew, while she might be over-protective, they could always go to their mom with a problem."

JJ nodded. "Besides, Kevin will help smooth out your crazy, that's what dads are really there for-to point out when you're being irrational."

"That's what Will does?"

"Several times already."

Garcia turned to Emily. "I guess we're all going to be smoothing out your crazy then."

"I'll make sure Addy thanks you when she's a healthy, well-adjusted, young woman."

"Speaking of that cute, little angel...can we go and gawk through the window?" She looked like a little kid on Christmas asking to open presents.

"Of course. She doesn't do much though."

"When you're that adorable, you don't need to do anything for an audience. Henry didn't do too much early on either, but I still couldn't get enough of him. I'm so glad my friends make beautiful babies." She grinned.

"What would you do if we made ugly babies?" JJ asked, smirking.

"Buy lots of clothes and hoped that helped." The two mothers in the room, even knowing how awful the conversation would sound to anyone else couldn't help but start laughing.

* * *

_Okay, little disclaimer here that I meant to put earlier. I know next to nothing about pre-term babies, NICU facilities, and motherhood. I don't even have aspirations for the last. I did some basic research (really, really basic), and decided that was enough. So, forgive me if I'm in accurate, and feel free to drop a line and correct me. On that note, the last chapter should be up sometime this week. Thanks for reading, and please review!_


	4. Chapter 4

Morgan spent that night with her as well, insisting that since he'd slept during the day, he was just fine. Emily's argument against it had been feeble at best, since she really wanted him to stay, finding comfort in his presence. The nerves that coiled in her belly and traveled up through her chest into her throat, strangling the breaths she tried to release, weren't as strong or overbearing when he was there. He even brought her books to read when she had no visitors.

Rossi and Hotch had stopped by separately, during the day to check on her. Hotch offering a few helpful parenting tips, and telling her not to worry about her spot on the team-they'd welcome her when she was ready to come back. And, Rossi concerned about the bad memories the birth might have brought up, the ones only he really knew about.

Emily had thought about the child she'd hadn't had, a child who'd have been only about four years younger than Reid. That was a scary thought. Jesus, Reid could have dated that child-had it been a girl. She didn't regret her decision to have that abortion, but it did make her wonder, if she'd known she was pregnant, would she have gone ahead and had Addy?

She did want children, but she had thought when she had one, it would feel...different somehow. And, maybe it would have, had it been a normal pregnancy with a man she loved.

It was early Sunday when JJ called to tell her the team had been called out on a case. Little Rock, Arkansas apparently had a serial kidnapper. Hotch had tried to get them out of it, wanting to give his team a whole weekend to recoop, but five boys ages 10-12 had already disappeared. He couldn't say no to that. Garcia would still be home, and pop in when she got the chance.

Emily went home that afternoon, the doctors and Sylvia, the counselor deciding she was healthy enough physically and mentally to be released. Before changing into clothes from the go bag the team left for her, she'd gone into the NICU, where Addy would be for a little while longer. She'd bathed, changed, and fed her daughter, who'd put on two ounces already, and then cuddled her in another round of Kangaroo Care.

She'd gone back to her room, changed and waited for Garcia to pick her up. Emily had been fine when the redhead arrived, but by the time they got to the hospital exit, tears were running down her face. Garcia had been alarmed, worried Emily was in pain, at least physical pain. Emily admitted that she didn't want to leave the baby, that it didn't feel right to walk out and leave her behind.

That was when she realized that she did feel connected to Addy, that she did love her daughter. It had been simultaneously wonderful and horrible. It made it even harder to leave, when all she wanted to do was hold her child, but it was reassuring to know she wasn't a complete failure as a mother three days in. And, so ensued a hand-holding, hugging session in Garcia's car, with Emily colorfully cursing hormones.

The next few days were exhausting, mostly with the schlepping back and forth to the hospital to feed and take care of Addy. She also got up at night to pump (thanking JJ profusely in the dark of her apartment), and pace to wear out the inevitable nervous energy that followed. She also started baby shopping, picking out a bassinet and a few necessities before feeling terribly overwhelmed, only to return the next day and repeat the process. Garcia warned her to take it easy, she was out of the hospital, but still needed rest and peace and quiet.

Emily was never very good at relaxing or resting. It wasn't a trait common to profilers, or most cops for that matter.

It was on Thursday that she got two surprises, one at the hospital, and one at her own apartment. She'd mentioned to Morgan when they spoke on the phone the night before, that the doctor would check Addy to see if she could come home in the morning. Emily went about her new, 'normal' routine when she arrived, changing and feeding the baby, and the Kangaroo Care cuddling.

She had Addy cuddled against her chest, wrapped in her blouse and the blanket Garcia and JJ picked out when she began to fidget. "Shhh, come on now, you should be deliriously happy."

Emily hadn't actually been able to refer to herself as 'Mommy' or "Mama' yet, but she was talking to the baby a lot. Even in that slightly high-pitched cute voice that everyone adopts when talking to babies. She vaguely remembered using it when talking to Henry, so it wasn't entirely foreign to her.

"She getting fidgety?" Mallory came by and asked, smiling at the scene.

"Yeah, I think she's had enough for today." She affectionately ran a hand over the protrusion in her shirt.

"Let me page the doctor, and then I'll take her to get weighed."

Emily nodded, and eased Addy from her shirt, wrapping her in the blanket, and running a finger along her cheek. The baby stared up at her with big, dark brown eyes, completely trusting her to do everything right.

"Alright, give me that beautiful little angel," Mallory said, holding arms out for her. Emily did as asked, and spent the next thirty minutes waiting in perpetual boredom that was made all the more unbearable with worry.

"Hello Emily," a voice startled her from the thoughts that she'd been lost in. Dr. Weaver was beside her with Addy in his arms.

"Dr. Weaver, hi. How's she doing?"

"Excellent," he answered, setting the baby gently back into Emily's arms. "She's now just shy of 5lbs 10oz, which for just under a week is a very good weight gain. She's responding to stimuli as she should be, and the nurses tell me that she eats very well. No respiratory issues, bowel movements and urination are regular, no digestion issues...this all means little Addy is going home today."

Emily was suddenly so incredibly happy and relieved, and at the same time, so terrified, she didn't know what to say.

Weaver waited a few moments before adding, "You can breathe now, Emily."

And, like a spell had been broken, she was suddenly gulping oxygen into her lungs. Weaver looked at the baby and smiled. "I think your mommy's very happy to be taking you home."

"Yes, I am."

"Good." He went through a few basics, confirming that she was comfortable with everything, and told her to schedule a follow-up in a week when she checked out. He was just leaving when Mallory appeared again.

"Emily, I found him pacing around in the hallway, too shy to come in." Behind her was Morgan, looking mildly abashed and a little anxious. The young nurse rolled her eyes, and disappeared to tend to another baby.

"So, what's the verdict?" Morgan asked, peering into the tiny face visible amongst the blanket.

"I was about to get her dressed to go, actually."

Morgan's eyes widened, and a big grin broke out on his face. "I knew it, she's stubborn like her mama, just had to prove to everyone she's tougher than they think."

Emily smirked. "You want to hold her a minute while I grab her clothes?"

"Course I do, come here, little princess," he happily scooped the baby up, and continued to smile as he spoke to her. "Look at that, she's got chubby cheeks, the mark of a healthy baby according to my mother. How much does she weigh now?"

"Just shy of 5-10."

"You are a determined little thing aren't you, Addie?" Her only response was a spit bubble. Emily took her then, dressing her in the monkey footsie, and wrapping her back in the blanket.

"Did you guys just get back in?" She asked.

"Yeah, we got the unsub after we talked last night. It wasn't kidnappings, well it wasn't just kidnappings. We didn't find the bodies because he tossed them in the pond in the back of his house. We did manage to save the sixth boy though, so that's something." He sighed tiredly, rubbing the back of his head with his hands.

"Was he alright, the sixth boy?"

Morgan nodded. "The unsub didn't have time to do anything to him, and he's a tough kid, I think he'll be okay."

"That's good," she said, leading the way out of the NICU. He was typing on his phone as they spoke, but put it away to hold Addy while she dealt with the paperwork. Emily was very happy he'd come by. The pit of fear in her stomach actually felt more like a pit than the angry, bubbling volcano it had been.

Without giving her a chance to object or argue, Morgan told her he'd follow her home, and disappeared to his car. Emily got Addy situated in the car seat (which JJ and Garcia had made sure was able to accommodate a premie), and spent the entire drive home glancing back to check on her, and taking deep breaths in and out. Driving with such a fragile package was as unnerving as her first defensive driving course at Quantico. She'd been sure she'd kill both herself and her teacher.

She'd bet Morgan loved that class.

Since Emily had actually gone the speed limit the whole way home, Morgan was there and waiting when she arrived. He walked her up, and took the baby while she grabbed her keys and unlocked the door. She was busy listening to Morgan talk to the baby, so when she pushed the door open, and was greeted by a group of people shouting, 'Congratulations!', she was nowhere near prepared for it.

"Oh, my god," she gasped, and jumped back, into the hand Morgan held out to steady her. One hand on her chest, she caught her breath and looked at them. "You are all so lucky I wasn't armed."

"We figured you wouldn't go to the hospital armed," JJ assured her.

"Oh, let me at that baby, I haven't gotten to hold her yet." Garcia rushed forward to Morgan, and liberated his light load. The baby stared up at Garcia, looking a little sleepy. "Oh, I could just eat her up."

Emily smiled, and finally got a look around her apartment. The team, plus Kevin, Will, Henry and Jack (both boys attached to their daddys) were assembled, trays of food on her dining table, and bags scattered in a corner. And, balloons tied to a chair with 'Congratulations', 'New Baby' and 'Baby Shower' written with the occasional teddy bear or rattle, as if the text didn't say enough. "How did you...? You were all on a case?"

They all pointed to Garcia, who smiled. "We all made contributions, and I had an awesome shopping trip. And, the caterer was more than happy to get this together super-quick when I made his parking tickets disappear."

Hotch shot her a look at that.

"Sorry, sir," she said, shrugging. He just rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Well, thank you all, very much."

"Honey, you haven't even gotten to the presents yet." Garica winked at her. "And, now you know why I quizzed you on your purchases everyday."

Emily frowned for a minute thinking, then shook her head. "Wow, I can't believe I missed that."

"Get used to that feeling, being a new mom seems to kill half your brain cells," JJ informed her.

"Hey Garcia," Reid called to her. The tech looked at him, he held out hands and gestured her over. Somewhat reluctantly, but with plans to swipe her at some later point in the afternoon, Garcia eased the baby into his arms.

Reid smiled at the baby, and then his head cocked to the side as he studied her.

"What?" Emily asked, knot already forming in her stomach.

"She's got brown eyes, dark brown. Most Caucasian babies are born with blue eyes, and then they change. It's actually pretty uncommon for a white baby to be born with brown eyes."

"What, no specific statistics on that, kid?" Morgan asked.

"I don't think anyone's ever done a study. Though it would be interesting, genetics is a fascinating-"

"Okay then," JJ interrupted, "before we get into all that, who's hungry?"

The group was happy for the excuse to stop the impending lecture on genetics, at least until they were all fed. Addy was passed around from person to person, only returned to her mama when she got fidgety and hungry. Emily excused herself to her bedroom, and motioned JJ to follow her.

"How have the last few days been, not being with her at the hospital?" The media liaison settled herself on the edge of the bed, facing Emily.

Emily cringed. "Did Garcia tell you about my little breakdown leaving the hospital?"

"She mentioned you were upset about leaving Addy there."

The profiler snorted. "She was being delicate. I burst into tears a foot out the door, and was hysterical in the car, begging to go back inside. I spent most of that first night crying and pacing. I think I've actually cried more in the last week than I have in the last thirty years.

JJ frowned. "You don't cry much, do you?"

Emily shook her head. "I was trained not to make a scene. The children of politicians must be presentable, polite, and perfectly behaved, my mother always told me."

"I take it you won't be raising her with the same idea in mind?"

"Hell no." Emily shot her a grin, as she positioned Addy to feed.

"You're lucky she took to that easily. Henry was difficult, no matter how many times I told him there wasn't anything else on the menu."

"I guess she figured she'd give me one easy thing."

"And, you don't have to lose pregnancy weight." JJ nodded to her more or less flat stomach.

"Well, honestly I would have traded some time in the gym for that one little hint."

"I bet...how do you feel about her now?"

Emily noted the naked worry in JJ's eyes, and not for the first time that week, thanked god she had the friends she did. "Still scared, but better." She paused. "JJ, were you scared the first night you brought Henry home?"

"Oh yeah, I was terrified I'd mess something up. Will was the only thing keeping me from completely losing it."

"Smoothing out the crazy?"

"Yep, he's pretty good at it too."

Emily smiled. "How come no one ever tells you this part?"

It was about an hour later that Emily was finally able to corner Reid. She glanced around the room, noting that Rossi had the baby, and actually looked surprisingly comfortable holding her. Not something she would have expected. Garcia had Henry in her arms, and both seemed pretty content. She'd had Jack before, but the little boy was pretty attached to his daddy after losing his mom. She took the opportunity to yank Reid off into the kitchen for a quiet conversation.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, concern etched into his face.

"Yes, everything's fine. I just wanted a minute with you."

"Oh...she looks good, bigger than before."

"Thanks, but that's mostly thanks to you," she said, honestly. "You probably saved both our lives, definitely hers."

He twisted around nervously, "I don't know about that, I just, uh..."

"Kept your head, and delivered my daughter safely, even when you knew the idea of me being pregnant was nuts."

"I saw a head." He shrugged.

Emily sighed, was it always this hard to get him to accept a simple thank you? "What I'm trying to say is, thank you, for being your super-genius self and being there when I really needed you. And, though I haven't gone to church in years and probably won't do a formal ceremony, I'd still like you to be her godfather."

Reid's mouth opened in surprise, and then he smiled. "I'd be honored."

She smiled widely then, and embraced him in a tight hug. When she pulled away, she kissed his cheek, and opened her mouth to speak, when the sounds of crying hit her ears. "I guess she got tired of being passed around."

Reid shrugged. "She tolerated it for a while."

The crying got louder as they headed back to the living room, only to abruptly stop. Emily searched around, following the eyes of her friends as they directed her toward where Morgan was holding Addie, stroking her back. She walked over, and saw the baby was resting against his chest, one hand gripping his t-shirt, the other curled up, thumb thrust in her mouth.

"Apparently, Derek's powers of charm extend to females of all ages," Garcia commented.

Emily snorted. "Does that surprise you?"

She rubbed a finger along the baby's cheek, then adjusted the little cap that matched her footie, and caressed her head. Addy grabbed her finger, and brought it to her mouth, and Emily let her suck on it, while she turned back to everyone else. She opened her mouth to speak when an angry squawk erupted from the baby, startling everyone.

Emily turned back to her, eyes wide, to see a little hand held out, fingers flexing. She'd dropped Emily's finger, and was getting ready to cry again.

"I think she's had enough of me too," Morgan commented, already easing Addy back into her mother's arms.

Emily took her and snuggled the baby against her chest. "Shh, it's okay. I didn't go anywhere. Mama's right here," she soothed her. She looked at the team. "She's just tired, I better put her down for a nap."

"Well, why don't we get out of your hair, so you can do that?" JJ hinted to everyone, remembering all too well the stress of being a new mother. She and Garcia had already cleaned the dishes and stowed the leftovers.

Emily didn't even bother arguing, just said thank yous and exchanged hugs, and kissed both little boys on the cheeks. Jack promptly wiped his off, the same thing he'd been doing every time Garcia kissed him. She steadily got them out the door, Addy sucking her little thumb, and looking rather pooped. Emily was a bit relieved to find that Morgan was hanging back, she was anxious about being completely alone with Addy.

"So..." He said, approaching her, "I've got a little confession, I didn't contribute to Garcia's shopping spree."

She smiled. "You being around those first two days was as much of a gift as I need."

He chuckled. "You flatter me, princess...seriously, I actually had something else in mind."

"Oh?"

"I was thinking about taking a break from knocking down walls, and trying my hand at setting up a nursery."

Emily's mouth opened, but she couldn't seem to find words.

"You pick a room, and when you feel up to it, I'll take you to pick out furniture and paint, and whatever else, and I'll get everything set up." He'd never done a nursery before, this would be interesting.

"Oh Morgan, you don't have to-"

"I know, I don't," he cut her off. "I want to, so just say thank you, and let me know when you want to go shopping."

She released the breath that had stuck when he cut her off, and after a minute said, "Thank you."

He smiled. "You're welcome."

Emily ran her tongue over her lips then, shifting around nervously, "Uh Morgan, would you um, god, I really shouldn't be asking for a favor after that..." she mumbled, shaking her head.

"It's alright, what do you need?"

"Well, I'm a little...uh, would you mind staying over tonight?" She said it quickly, like that would make it easier to get it out.

"Sure...you nervous about being alone with the baby?" He rested a hand on the infant's back, as if reminding them both of her existence.

"Yeah, is it that obvious?"

He shrugged. "I'd be freaked if I was in your shoes." She offered a small smile of thanks. "Just let me run back to my place, and refresh my go-bag. I shouldn't be more than an hour. Alright?"

Emily nodded, and watched him move toward the door. "Hey Morgan?" He turned, expectantly. "Thanks."

He smiled and disappeared outside. Emily turned to face her apartment then, and the packages stacked in the corner.

Garcia had gotten her big things: a stroller (pram style), baby swing, high chair, and infant learning-play toy structure thing, well whatever that was, and also got smaller toys, blankets, clothes (the tech admitted to picking up a few things for Henry and Jack too, she just couldn't help herself), a few practical items, and lots of diapers. While she was thinking of that...

She used the bathroom counter as a changing surface, and then took the baby into her bedroom, where she'd set up the bassinet. Thank god she wouldn't need a crib for a while, she still had time to work on that, though a changing table and dresser would be wonderful right then.

Humming to soothe her, Emily changed Addy into a plain white onesie, and tucked her into a sleep sack. JJ had explained to her once that babies shouldn't sleep with blankets because they could suffocate themselves; sleep sacks had done the trick for Henry. She gently laid Addy into the bassinet, and popped a pacifier into her mouth. One hand on the edge, she slowly rocked the basket part, and watched her daughter wiggle around.

Her daughter. She was a mom.

When the baby settled herself, Emily began to talk to her. "So listen, I know I'm going to screw up, probably a lot, but that doesn't mean that I don't love you," she promised, tears pricking her eyes, slowly tracking down her cheeks. "And, I'm sorry I picked such a sorry SOB for your father, and because of that, I'll be all you've got...and, I can't even give you a traditional extended family." She laughed the, sniffling through the tears still falling. "You really got screwed, didn't you? But, you know what? The family I can give you, they're the best people I know and they'll always be there for you, so you actually got pretty lucky. Once you're part of them, they'll never let you down, and they'll never let you go. That means when I screw up really bad, you can go running to your Aunt Penelope, and tell her that mom's being crazy." Emily wiped at her tears. "Yeah, I'm you're mommy, and I do love you, more than anything else in this world."

She pressed a kiss to the baby's forehead, and dried the rest of the tears from her face, watching as the infant's eyes drooped closed. Then she climbed into bed, and curled up facing the bassinet, watching as the soft swinging slowed down. Her eyes were closed before it stopped.

* * *

_So, it ends. Okay, to reiterate, my knowledge of premies, etc, is limited, so forgive me those mistakes. And, I'm not certain on Reid's and Emily's birthdays, so I'm guessing on the four, maybe five year difference between Reid and what her baby would have been. 1982 is sticking on in my mind as his birth year, and I think Prentiss is 1970/71, but all I really remember is October 12 (cause that's actually my birthday), so if anyone knows, feel free to correct me. _

_I can keep going with this universe if people are interested, I'm thinking the next one would focus more on Morgan than Emily. I'd like to go into his head, since this is big for him too. What do you think?_

_As always, thank you all very much for reading!  
_


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note-9/6/10

The sequel to this story is up, it's called, Second Favorite.


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